ARTS & EDUCATION
Kinship & the Kiln w ritten by SHERIL BE NNE T T TURNER photo g raphed by KI M S TEWART
EARTH, AIR, FIRE AND WATER - these are the ingredients of pots and human beings alike, and each formula contains also the element of Chance. Do not seek perfection in pot or people, for your search will go unrewarded, and you will miss knowing many good pots and many good people.... - Ross Murphy
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aturday, February 23, 2008 dawns clear and bright in Lyman, South Carolina. It’s one of those rare, warm winter days with just enough spring in the air to tease people out of their homes. For Billy and Linda Green, it’s turning out to be the perfect day for their annual pottery firing, a community event started by Linda’s late brother, folk potter Billy Henson, who became renowned for the artistry of his signature face jugs, as well as his wood-kiln pottery firing gatherings. When Billy passed away in 2001, Linda and husband Billy Green stepped in to fill the void, rekindling the yearly family firing with their own unique pottery. During the day and into the night, family, friends, neighbors, and strangers drop by for a chance to witness the Henson family legacy. “My great-grandfather stated making pottery in this area in the late 1800s,” Linda explains. “My grandfather and two of his brothers continued the craft and at one time had a lot of potteries in Lyman. There were also
ARTS & EDUCATION
about 15 or 16 other potters in the area then.” And indeed, Claude Babb, who celebrated his ninetieth birthday last year and was once a potter himself on Jug Factory Road, drops by to reminisce about the old days. “I know all about old times,” jokes spry and good-humored Claude. Billy Green started making pottery at the same time Billy Henson did. Together they learned the traditional ways of folk art pottery which is characteristic of this area. “To make true folk art pottery,” Billy says, “you either have to be born into a family with a pottery making history or,” he says with a smile, “marry into it like I did.” Billy Green’s wonderfully playful face jugs, sometimes called “ugly jugs”, include toothy grinning faces and delightful monkey-faces. In 2002, Linda Green began studying and making pottery herself. This firing today will include a lot of Linda’s work – wonderful vessels and urns, decorated with flowers, designs, and bible verses, most commemorating special days and people in her life. She has also kept up the witty tradition
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started by brother Billy of taking a current event and spoofing it on a pot (Billy did several on Bill Clinton’s days in the White House.) One of Linda’s vessels, entitled “Paris – The Simple Life,” depicts the Eiffel Tower along with a pigtailed Paris Hilton in a stable. Together, Linda and Billy create pottery much like it has been done in the area for four generations. “We used to get our clay from the creek over there,” Linda says. “Now we get it from Bethune, South Carolina. We wedge and work the trash out the clay, then shape it on our pottery wheels. After the piece is dry, it’s sanded and maybe a design is painted on it. Next we dip it into a glaze and fire it. There are a lot of steps involved and a lot of time. Most people don’t realize how much work goes into making pottery.” Some of the Green’s pottery pieces are fired during the year in an electric kiln to test out new, as well handed down, recipes for the alkaline glazes this area is known for. Alkaline glazing, which has its roots in China, uses wood ash and crushed glass to achieve its shiny finish. “Collectors seem to like the tobacco spit glaze the
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best,” Billy says. “Mostly all of our pottery during the 1800s was this color.” The tobacco spit glaze gets its color from red clay and when the pot is fired, the glaze turns golden brown and runs down the sides, hence the name. But, as Linda explains, there’s a big difference between testing in an electric kiln, where you can control the conditions, and a wood-burning kiln firing. “In an electric, you pretty much know how the piece will turn out,” she says. “In a woodburning kiln, you never know, but that’s what makes it so interesting and special.” For the annual event, the magnificent wood-burning kiln built by Billy Green in 1989, is recommissioned to fire the large assortment of pots, jugs, and vessels that the Greens have worked throughout the year. Hundreds of pieces are carefully loaded into the back of the kiln, where they will be fired for about 12 hours. Starting slow, Billy gradually increases the heat by adding more pinewood to make the fire hotter. By studying the pyrometric cones inside the kiln, Billy can tell the temperature of the heat and when to flash, or pull the flames to the back of the kiln, so that the fire licks all of the pots. Towards the end of the day the atmosphere inside of the kiln will change from an unearthly glowing red to a hazy white. “I’ll tell you what it looks like,” Billy explains, “it looks like ice glistening. It’s like a mirage.” GreerNow JULY 2008
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Throughout the day, Billy and Linda educate and entertain the community. People, young and old gather around the kiln to enjoy a bit of history as well as the usual warm family hospitality which includes home-cooked goodies. “With regards to the food,” explains Linda’s niece Kim Stewart, “the family members usually bring the specialty dishes that have been a tradition from the very first firing Billy Henson had. Aunt Sib (Sylvia Morris) cooks her Potato Dumplings - which always disappears quickly - and chocolate pies, and my mother, Jewel Lemmons, makes her special cornbread and chili beans. Aunt Linda (Green) makes the pound cakes and pinto beans that she’s known for. Roger Henson brings his regular Lintel beans and beef stew. There are also helpful friends that contribute like Norma Kibler and Bill Hollingsworth.” As the day winds down there’s the anticipation of seeing the finished product. “Even when you shut the kiln down,” Billy says, “you can’t tell how the glaze on the pottery has turned out. There are ashes all over them, and until the ashes cool, you can’t see what’s underneath.” The kiln is allowed to cool for several days, then each piece is carefully lifted out of the ashes and dusted off to reveal what the fiery kiss of the kiln has left. The following weekend, another crowd will gather at the Green’s workshop for the much anticipated public sale of the pottery treasures, thus ending another successful annual firing. In their efforts to preserve and continue their family history and art, the Greens also give back to the community more than they’ll ever know. Because with kinship around the kiln comes the encouragement to work hard, to have faith, and to not be afraid of a little heat. Surely something beautiful and enduring will emerge from the flames. For more information on Billy and Linda Green’s pottery, please call them at (864) 895-4617.
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